Electoralism? Perhaps, when strategically useful. American two-party electoral politics specifically? Probably not. Because I don’t think it’s particularly strategically useful. Almost all gains by the American left have historically come outside the party system.
Okay, so I disagree with that take. If you want to build a socialist party, elected officials can play an important role in popularising your message, look for example at Kschama Sawant her role in implementing the amazon-tax and the $15 minimum wage in Seattle.
The problem is: the elected officials of DSA don't take up such a role (anymore): they've been sucked in to the tit-for-that-game that politicians in Washington play, and #forcethevote shows that.
But if we fundamentally disagree about the role that elected officials need to have in building a socialist party, we won't agree about #forcethevote either, because we're analysing from a different framework.
Electoralism? Perhaps, when strategically useful. American two-party electoral politics specifically? Probably not. Because I don’t think it’s particularly strategically useful. Almost all gains by the American left have historically come outside the party system.
Okay, so I disagree with that take. If you want to build a socialist party, elected officials can play an important role in popularising your message, look for example at Kschama Sawant her role in implementing the amazon-tax and the $15 minimum wage in Seattle.
The problem is: the elected officials of DSA don't take up such a role (anymore): they've been sucked in to the tit-for-that-game that politicians in Washington play, and #forcethevote shows that.
But if we fundamentally disagree about the role that elected officials need to have in building a socialist party, we won't agree about #forcethevote either, because we're analysing from a different framework.